An Unexpected Friend
by RawrWoofMeow
Summary: The company meet a unique character along their journey. One who has the power to aid in victory, or bring destruction and defeat. Lives are on the line, as is a quest. Follow them on their unexpectedly strange journey. -potential future pairings. Won't post spoilers from book until final movie is out.
1. Chapter 1

As I woke up I was flooded with loud noises and overly pungent smells. It was a dark night, with the moon hidden behind the clouds. The only source of light came from the nearby campfire.

Within seconds of waking up I saw the causes for the horrible smell and the vicious noises. There were beasts all around me, moving loudly around the small camp. It was a mix of some of the ugliest looking humans I'd ever seen, their skin color was shades of brown, gray and even some green. Most had hideous disfigurations, such as extra or missing limbs, or a distortion of their spine, causing hunched postures. Absolutely every one that I could see had sharp pointy teeth and short pointed ears.

I had to either still be sleeping, or at some sort of role playing event. These just had to be elaborate costumes.

But that didn't explain the enourmous dog-like beasts that were running around growling savagely at each other. Each beast was larger than the ugly humans, but each one appeared to see the humans as masters.

Ugly humans, giant dogs. I knew I'd seen this before, but where? I couldn't remember anything from before I'd woken up, not even the dream I'd had.

I had to get away from this ugly, vicious pack of creatures before they noticed me.

I had little time to wonder why I stood up and began walking on four legs, instead of two, because of a savage growl behind me. One of the beasts had been right there, and I'd just walked straight back into it.

I'd barely spun around to look before the beast lept at me, snapping its jaws at my neck. Without thinking, I did the same. Using my front legs to push it away while I snapped right back at it. The tussle only lasted a few seconds before another set of jaws clamped down on my back and threw me away with surprising ease.

I growled defensively, but the beast responsible was even bigger than the rest, and it's coat was white like a ghost.

Not daring to move, it slowly walked over to me, sniffing the air around me like it smelt a delicious roast. Well this was it, it was going to eat me. I couldn't even remember enough of life to have it flash before my eyes. All I had was memory of waking up into this nightmare.

"What the hell?!" the beast had moved itself behind me, and had actually tried to mount me, like I was a female dog. "You can bugger off!" I spun around and snapped at him so fast he actually looked shocked. Sounds were coming from me that I never thought possible. One of the few things I could remember was that I was supposed to be a human. Nothing I'd been doing since I'd woken up was human-like.

The big albino beast got the message and casually wandered off. finally leaving me alone on the outskirts of the camp to just sit and think.

I had paws, I could see them, hairy and brown. I had definitely not spoken any sort of language just before. All that had left my mouth was angry snarls, growls and a cross between a roar and a bark. I was walking on four legs. Could hear, smell and I assumed see, really well. And I had a tail! It felt odd to consciously move my tail around.

I was just like those other dog-beasts. This had to be a nightmare, I am a human, not a dog. At least, that's what my gut told me. If this was real, I'd remember something from before I'd woken up.

With the conclusion drawn that I was simply trapped in a nightmare, I decided to wait it out. Sooner or later I had to wake up, right?


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as the sky began to lighten, the ugly humans packed up their camp, and began mounting the beasts, like they were getting on horses.

I was greatful that none of them tried to climb onto me, I felt strange enough without being used as a horse too.

The temptation to stay behind while they rode off into the distance was there, but given the fact I had no idea where I was, I decided it best to stick with the ugly pack for now.

The pack split in two, each half going in different directions. I opted to go with the half that didn't have the creepy albino beast with it.

We ran for a good hour, not stopping for anything. I was able to keep up with them with ease, not coming close to being out of breath or worn out.

The pace slowed to a stop as we neared a forest, and one of the ugly humans shouted something in a language I couldn't fully understand. The only words I understood were "find" and "kill". The two beasts closest to the forest made happy noises as they darted off, disappearing into the trees. One of them let out a loud howl, which I somehow knew it meant it had picked up a scent. The pack responded by taking off again, running along the edge of the forest.

We weren't on the move long before a figure burst out of the forest. It looked like a man on a sled, but his dogs looked more like rabbits. The pack took chase like a dog with a squirrel. Even running as fast as we could, the man was still keeping just ahead of us. From smelling his scent as I ran, I could confirm that he did in fact have rabbits pulling his sled. It absolutely baffled me that a bunch of rabbits were this fast, but I once again got the feeling of familiarity.

Chasing the man was proving to be fun, I managed to get close several times, but the rabbit's ability to change direction quickly was far superior to my own.

The cries of both a beast and an ugly human pulled me and the rest of the pack to a sudden stop. we all looked towards the sounds. There, hidden behind several large boulders, stood a group of children. At least they looked like children.

The pack quickly forgot about the man on the sled, and began chasing this new group of people.

They were some distance away, but they weren't even close to being as fast as us. It didn't take long for the pack to surround them.

I still had no idea why we were chasing them. Getting closer, I saw that they weren't children at all, they were simply very short men.

One by one they began disappearing into a rock formation, the only one not running was one who was firing arrows at the beasts that got too close to the group.

"Kill!" One of the ugly humans yelled out.

Why were we trying to kill them? They looked more damn human than the creatures I'd spent the past few hours with.

"Kili, run!" a short man yelled from the rock formation. I had understood him! Without a moment of thought, I ran towards him. When I tried to speak back to him, all that came out was a roar. the short man braced himself and prepared to cut me down with his already blood-soaked sword.

He thought I was attacking him, crap! I stopped in my tracks, just far enough away that he couldn't attack me.

"Uncle!" The other short man, that had been firing arrows drew my attention away. I froze in fear when I saw him aiming his next arrow at me.


	3. Chapter 3

He flinched and cried out in pain, his arrow flying crooked. The arrow struck me, but it thankfully hit my thick thigh, not going in far enough to do much damage.

The short man fell forwards, revealing an arrow protruding from his back.

"Kill no!" The emotion in the other short mans voice was enough to twist my stomach. I had to help the these men. Not only did they look more like humans, but they spoke in a language I could understand. if anyone could help me, it would more likely be them.

I charged ahead of the short man who had taken off towards his fallen friend.

"No! Stay away from him, beast!" He yelled at me as I passed him.

I had no intention of touching the fallen short man, I kept easily over him to reach my target. With a clash of snarles and snapping jaws, I attacked the best who had also been charging at the fallen short man. I held nothing back, aiming straight for the beasts neck.

My attack took it by surprise, giving me enough time to sink my teeth into the tough flesh of its neck. I held my jaws there for a moment, to make sure the beast was dead before tossing it to the side.

There was a brief pause in the pack's attack when they witnessed my apparent betrayal. There wasn't time to see how they would have reacted, an unfamiliar horn sounded close by and one by one ugly humans and beast began to die, shot by unexpected arrows.

I had only a moment to react, if I didn't do anything, I would be cut down with the rest.

The uninjured short man was standing defensively over his fallen friend. I had to hope neither he, nor the newest arrivals would kill me.

I did the only thing I could think to do, to tell them I didn't want to hurt them. I huddled myself as low to the ground as I possibly could, with my tail between my legs and ears flat. I rested my chin on the ground and looked up at the short man.

He looked back at me with an absolutely baffled eexpression, but didn't lower his guard at all.

Those of the pack that hadn't been killed straight away had fled, speeding back the way we had come. My plan was working, I wasn't being killed instantly. Though I was soon surrounded by armored men atop horses, each with their weapons aimed at me.

These men began speaking in yet another language I could not understand. One of them sounded aggressive, and pointed at me with his sword.

I felt myself begin to shake. For such a big beast, I was a right coward.

I looked through the horse legs around me, trying to catch the gaze of the short man.

He was talking to a man whom had dismounted and removed his helmet. The man looked at me then, watching me as if I was the most fascinating sight in the world.

He approached me slowly, the horses moving out of his way. I dared not move, this man appeared to be the leader. I'd surely be killed if I moved, even if I wasn't meaning to attack.

The man drew a long, thin dagger and knelt in front of me. My eyes squeezed shut, too afraid to watch him kill me. My shaking intensified with the added fear.

I couldn't help but flinch when the man spoke, even though his voice was softer than most. He was speaking again in the language I could not understand. If only I could speak, they would at least know then that I wasn't just a beast.

"Look at me" my eyes shot open to stare straight at him, he'd changed language! He too could speak the language I understood.

He held his hand up, "my men will not attack unless I signal so. Nod if you understand"

I hesitated for a moment, glancing nervously around the circle. Looking back at the man before me, I gave a small nod, still careful not to move in any other way.

The man looked at me like I was a puzzle, trying to figure me out.

He stold and spoke again to his men. Several of them dismounted, rustled through their saddle bags and approached me cautiously. Each one held lengths of rope.

"If you do not attack, my men will not have to kill you. You may rise to your feet." The man was speaking to me like a human, which I was grateful for. Perhapse he already knew what or who I was. I hoped he did, that would make one of us.

I Stood slowly, keeping my head low. I didn't move as the ropes were secured around me. They looped several times around my muzzle, preventing me from opening my sizable jaws. They finished up by looping around my neck and fastening the other ends to their saddles. Whether I liked it or not, now I had no choice but to go with them.


	4. Chapter 4

"Why are you bringing the beast?!" The deeper voice of the short man came from his place on one of the horses, seated behind an armored man.

"Did the beast not save the life of your comrade?" The kind leader defended.

"It is still a beast!"

"On the contrary, I think we may find there is more than meets the eye, with this creature."

I kept pace between the two horses I was tethered to, at the back of this new group as we made our way through a mountainous path. The short man couldn't keep his eyes still, his gaze darting between his friend, the armored men and me. I flattened my ears every time he looked at me, without even thinking about it. I'd found that when I stop thinking about them, my ears and tail act automatically.

When we arrived at our apparent destination, the group of short men was already there. They were accompanied by an old man with an impressively long beard. I stood back, trying not to draw attention to myself as the short men reunited happily. There was much discussion between the short men, the armored leader and the old man.

I watched as the injured short man was carried away, and closely followed by all 13 of his comrades. Once they wew gone, the two remaining men turned their attention to me.

The old man approached me with that same puzzled expression. "You are able to understand us?"

I nodded, this old man looked wise. Perhapse it was because of his robes and hat?

"Curious. I don't suppose you are able to speak?"

I shook my head disappointedly.

"A transfiguration perhapse? I've not heard of one being done to this form."

"Do you suspect a trap born by the enemy, Gandalf?"

Gandalf. The old man's name sounded familiar. Wait, a trap? No! I didn't want to trap anyone! I tried to tell them as much by lowering myself a little and shaking my head vigorously.

"It is possible, though I do not this creature is aware of such a thing being the case."

"For now we shall keep it secure and guarded."

That was that. The two men strolled away, quietly discussing who knows what. The two men whom had been waiting patiently either side of me ushered their horses forward and led me to a stand-alone horse pen. They transferred the ropes from their saddles to a small metal ring attached to the far wall. Annoyingly they left the loops around my muzzle. I understood why, but I wished they were able to trust me enough to at least give me that.

With nothing else to do, I slept, lying on the straw-covered floor. My dreams proved harsher than my day had been.

I was sitting by a campfire, keeping a wary eye on the trees. My two comrades were asleep, though one was stirring, preparing to take watch so I could sleep. the night had been going by quietly until then. The moment I had taken my eyes off the trees, a figure burst out from within the shadows. I drew my bow, releasing an arrow into the enemy's chest, but it was quickly replaced by several more. The noise had woken my other comrades, though neither were fast enough to reach their weapons. we were surrounded and over run within seconds. They were orcs. Of all enemies, I had expected orcs the least.

They were all over me, beating me with fists, feet and weapons. Each one wanting to get their punch off, though none killing me. Once I could no longer stand, my arms were jerked roughly behind me and bound together tightly.

I'd only heard about orc attacks. I'd heard that if they don't kill you when they meet you, they will likely eat you. So this was my fate. To be orc food. Needless to say I was disappointed as well as terrified.

I fought to look over at my comrades, but a particularly nasty orc grabbed my chin roughly, looked at me for a moment as if critiquing a painting, and then hit me across the side of my head with the hilt of his blade. The world went black.

I woke with a start, jumping to my feet and looking around wildly.

I had forgotten my dream already, all I knew was that it was definitely a nightmare.

There was a rustle outside of the pen and I saw a small curly haired head pop into view. The short man approached the pen slowly after seeing my head tilt curiously.

"H-hello" he was so adorably nervous. "They said you can understand us."

I gave him a small nod and sat down, trying to appear casual.

"Well. I'm Bilbo. Uh, nice to meet you. I suppose." He really didn't seem sure as to if he was just talking to a dumb animal or not.

I lifted my front paw in an attempt at a wave.

"Thorin explained that you attacked another warg and saved Kili."

A 'warg'? That must be the name for what I am then.

"He also said that just before that, Kili shot you. Well then Gandalf explained that you could understand us, and said he thinks you might not actually be a warg. Anyway, I though I might see if you are alright, given that you were shot and all, I mean."

This man was nice, the nicest out of all that I could remember meeting. I had almost forgotten about being shot. The arrow shaft had snapped and only the tip and an inch or two were still stuck in my flesh. I went to pull it out with my teeth, but could only sigh when remembering I couldn't open my mouth.

I rubbed my paw against my muzzle and shook my head at Bilbo. I'd just have to wait for somebody to help me.


	5. Chapter 5

Bilbo watched me with an unsure expression, "maybe I could reach it. You would have to closer though."

I was surprised, I understood well that I was a big scary beast that everybody was afraid of. Nonetheless, if Bilbo was willing to help me then I wwas more than glad to let him.

I shifted as close to the gate as the ropes would allow, which unfortunately wasn't far at all. Even with positioned with my back facing him, the closest I could get was too far for his arms to reach.

"Darn. It's no use, I'll have to get help."

I was surprisingly disappointed. His willingness to help me was the most kindness I'd been shown so far. I didn't want this lovely little man to leave.

"I won't be too long." He hesitated long enough to watch me give him a sad nod and curl into the far corner. I couldn't help but whimper a little as he stood up to leave.

"Oh, blast it! I would very much prefer it if you did not eat me." He looked around, checking for guards before he unlatched the gate a crept ever so slightly inside.

Keeping my movements slow for him, I crept backwards towards him, so he didn't have to come as far into the pen.

He knelt beside my injured leg and hovered his hands above it. I waited patiently for him to build up his courage. It hurt more than I expected, causing me to flinch and let out a whine.

Bilbo rushed away from me straight away, but when I made no agressive movements, he shuffled a fraction closer.

I wanted to say thank you to the brave little man.

"There now. I hope that feels-"

"BILBO!" He was cut off by the same deep voice from earlier that day. The other short man ran into the pen, sword in hand, pointed straight at me.

I quickly huddled back into the far corner. This man watched me save his friend, yet he trusted me the least.

"Bilbo get out!" He dragged Bilbo out of the pen, not once lowering his sword.

"Thorin, it wasn't going to hurt me!"

"It is a beast Bilbo! It will kill you the first chance it gets!"

I watched as the short man, Thorin, re-latched the gate and pulled Bilbo away.

Once again, with nothing to do I stayed curled in the corner, trying to think of a way to communicate with all of these people.

Nobody else came near the pen until later that night. I heard her, rather than saw her, though her voice came from within my own mind.

'Darkness is always meddling with the light. Always it will seek to destroy what is good.' whoever she was, her voice was soft, soothing to my troubled mind. 'Tell me, who do you stand with?'

'I don't want to hurt anybody. I just want to know who I am.' I thought back, hoping I wasn't going crazy and conversing with myself.

'You do not remember anything.' It wasn't a question.

'Who are you?'

'My name is Lady Galadriel, all else that matters is who you are.'

'Like you said, I don't remember anything from before I woke up this morning. All I know is that I can understand the short men, and I have the feeling I haven't always been a warg, as Bilbo called me.'

'Those men are dwarves, be glad they did not hear you call them "short men". Bilbo is a Hobbit. Those that live here are elves, and Gandalf is a wizard.'

Memories of the ugly humans I'd been with to star with came to mind.

'Those are orcs, they are servants of darkness.'

'Is there anything you can do to help me, my Lady?'

'Forgive me child, there is but one thing I can do for you. The answers you seek lie within a quest to reclaim a homeland, as does your fate, and the fate of countless others.'

'A quest? Whos quest? My Lady?' Without be sure how, I knew she was gone. No longer in my mind. She was moderately helpful, I suppose. Better than nothing. At least I knew more about the people around me now.


	6. Chapter 6

It hadn't taken me long to fall asleep, since all I had to do was think and let my mind wander.

I took a deep breath before I hit the water. With only the use of my legs, I fought to get my head back above the water. The water was too deep, I was at the bottom, and with my arms tried behind my back I couldn't kick in the right direction. I was out of time. Out of air. I began to drown, only able to thrash in the cold water.

Rough hands grabbed me and pulled me out of the water, but it wasn't a relief. The orcs laughed as I coughed up water and gasped for air. I'd barely caught my breath before I was dragged back to the makeshift camp and bound to a tree. My two comrades were bound to separate trees as well, but neither of them were dumb enough to provoke our orc captors. Simply for having the strongest spirit, the orcs were using me as their plaything. Though to orcs, play is the same as torture. Why they hadn't killed or eaten us by now, I had no idea. My gut told me there was worse to come than this pack of orcs though. For the sake of my comrades I hoped not.

Once again I awoke with a start, still feeling the fear from my dream, but not remembering why. I shook my head in frustration, why couldn't I remember any of my dreams?!

"Good morning" I hadn't even noticed Bilbo standing by the gate.

I gave him a wave of my paw, like I had the previous day. It made me incredibly happy to see him again.

"I brought you breakfast" I shook my head as he unlatched the gate, but he simply replied, "it's alright, Thorin is busy right now with Kili. Gandalf spoke to me again last night, about you in fact. He believes you need our help, and that we can trust you. So trust you I will."

There was only a hint of caution in his movements as he approached me. He sat the plate of food on the ground, and stood right in front of me. To him, I must have been huge, a right monster. He reached up to my face and carefully removed the ropes from my muzzle. It was such a relief to have them off, the first thing I did was let out a huge yawn. I lifted my paw and held it out for Bilbo to shake. He did so with a smile.

"I should let you enjoy your breakfast." I watched him leave reluctantly, latching the gate shut behind him.

As soon as he was gone I turned my attention to the plate of food. It was all greens, berries and vegetables, but that didn't slow me down, I ate everything and licked the plate clean. It didn't seem like nearly enough, but I was grateful Bilbo had brought me something.

"I didn't think wargs ate anything but meat" I was startled by an unfamiliar voice. There was a dwarf leaning against the gate. This one looked young, and had lighter hair.

"I've heard you are able to understand us. So I wanted to thank you for helping my brother, Kili."

I'd never remember all of these names. I gave the dwarf a small nod, and he seemed satisfied. He didn't leave though, in fact, he leant in a bit closer and continued talking to me.


	7. Chapter 7

By the end of our 'chat', I'd found out that this dwarf's name is Fili, and that Thorin was both his uncle, and the leader of their 'company' as he had called them. Bilbo was to be their burglar, but he couldn't tell me where they were going or what they wanted Bilbo to steal. He also told me about the night before they were chased by wargs, they had unknowingly made camp too close to 3 trolls, whom had almost successfully cooked them all.

Fill seemed to be kind, not unlike Bilbo. He apologized for Thorin's behavior towards me, and claimed that Thorin just hadn't taken the time to see that I'm not just a dangerous warg.

He'd stopped talking some minutes ago, and had been standing there deep in thought. "That could work" he mumbled to himself. "I will return before nightfall!" And he was gone.

The frustration of not being able to talk to them rose once again. That lady had basically told me to join a quest, but she didn't say with whom or what quest. How was I supposed to even find any of that out if I couldn't even communicate effectively?

I had to pace the frustration away, which was hard with my current small living space, but I managed it.

Fili returned sooner than I was expecting, and Bilbo was accompanying him. My tail began wagging happily all of its own accord once I saw Bilbo.

The two of them weren't alone for llong however, they were soon followed by what looked to be the entirety of their company.

Fili and Bilbo took it in turns introducing everyone. If I heard them correctly, then I was in the presence of; Balin, Dwalin, Oin, Gloin, Dori, Nori, Ori, Bifur, Bofur and Bomber. Definitely was not going to remember that.

The dwarves, Fili aside, all looked on eedge. None of them trusted me yet. Why had Fili brought them all here?

Bilbo too everyone by surprise when he unlatched the gate and stood beside me. There were several cries of "Bilbo!" From the nervous dwarves.

"May I?" He held his hand up. Did he want to pet me? If it made them all trust me, I'd do anything. Instead of nodding, I leaned myself into his hand. He stroked my shoulder several times before he gave his attention back to the dwarves.

"I don't believe she means any of us harm."

"She?" I think it was Balin who spoke up.

"Am I incorrect?" Bilbo turned back to me, his face showing a hint of worry.

I shook my head happily and rubbed my shoulder against his hand, encouraging him to continue. I did have to admit, it felt strangely comforting.

"Gandalf told me he suspects she is a person, transformed into a beast by dark magic. He thinks we can help her."

Fili put on a very convincing 'in charge' voice. "If such is the case, is it not our duty to do so?"

"What are you suggesting? We abandon our quest to help her, on the off chance that we are actually able to?" It was Bofur who spoke up.

"We need not abandon our quest. I suggest a fair agreement, she could help us, and in exchange we would help her." Fili retorted.

"How can we trust it not to kill us as soon as we turn it lose?!" Dwalin, who had had his weapon drawn the entire time, stepped towards me somewhat aggressively.

Acting on instinct alone, I reached back, took the ropes into my mouth and snapped them with a swift tug.

Balin pulled Fili back, behind Dwalin, and the rest of the dwarves moved into defensive positions. Bilbo had only flinched back a step or two, but he stood quietly watching me, not in a defensive or threatening manner.

I stared straight at Dwalin, making sure I held his gaze as I flared my nostrils and snorted loudly. I was sick of being untrusted. If they wanted to debate if I'd kill them or not, they could damn well do it somewhere else.

I went back to my corner, curling with my back to them, trying to give off as much of a 'screw you' vibe as I could.


	8. Chapter 8

"Are you satisfied now Dwalin?" I felt Bilbo sit next to me and rest his hand on my back, stroking my fur softly.

The dwarves muttered between themselves, too softly for me to make out any of it.

"What is the meaning of this?!" boomed the all too familiar voice of Thorin. So he'd finally realized everybody was here, mingling with me, the oh so dangerous beast.

"Uncle, we should bring her with us."

"It" he overly emphasized the word, "is a beast, it should be killed, not brought with us like some pet!"

This guy was such a delightful ray of sunshine.

"Thorin!" Bilbo scolded the dwarf loudly, drawing silence from everyone. "Gandalf believes she should join us." He stumbled over his words, most likely buckling under the weight of the silence.

"Gandalf say it, so we must do it? I am in charge, not Gandalf!"

"We would all be dead by now were it not for Gandalf." Balin piped in then.

Listening to them had grown tiresome. Being careful not to squash poor Bilbo, I rolled onto my back and stretched my front legs into the air. Bilbo was finding it increasingly harder to keep from laughing as I nudged him with my upside down nose.

Bilbo finally let out a chuckle and scratched my chin, which I must note, felt amazingly relaxing.

"Please, Uncle" Fili pleaded.

To emphasize his plea, I looked to the company and gave it my best shot at smiling.

Whatever face I'd made, it must have looked odd, because several of the dwarves smiled and let out small chuckles.

"Never did I think I would see such a thing" Balin exclaimed.

"We leave at daybreak, everyone be ready." Thorin marched off, followed by most of the company.

Those that stayed were Fili, Bofur Ori and Bilbo.

"Was that a 'yes'?" Bilbo asked Fili.

"It wasn't a 'no', so we shall return before we leave, and fetch you." He waited for me to acknowledge before he too, left.

"Do you have a name?" Ori asked tentatively.

I had to stop and think about it. If I did have a name, I hadn't the slightest clue what it was. I had to shake my head.

"We shall have to give you one!" Bilbo sounded much too excited. They both thought quietly for a moment, apparently a moment was all that was needed. "How about Risa?"

It seemed as good a name as any. They both looked pleased when I nodded and wagged my tail happily.

Ori and Bilbo stayed with me for most of the day, telling me and each other stories, jokes and other such banter. It was nice to have them both there talking normally, even though I couldn't really join in.

Ori left at dinner time, but Bilbo stayed, making himself comfortable on a larger pile of hay. The little hobbit wasn't going to leave me here without a fight. He would forever have my gratitude for all of his kindness.

Bilbo fell asleep before me, and it wasn't long before he began shivering. I carefully shuffled closer and rested my head on his other side, so my neck covered his legs. I was so much bigger than him that I almost covered all of his legs, all that wasn't covered were his feet. Soon I too, fell asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

The hour was growing ever later and still we walked. The orcs hadn't let us rest once since we set off at dawn. Walking for so long wouldn't usually have been such an issue, however before we set off the orcs had ripped the shoes off my feet, and they refused to allow me to eat or drink. I was thankful that the orcs were only treating me so badly, my comrades kept their shoes and were given a fraction of water at midday.

I honestly didn't think I'd make it to wherever they were taking us.

I kept mmyself going as long as I could, one foot in front of the other. It wasn't until the sun was a mere sliver of light on the horizon that my body gave way. I fell to my knees, the impact shooting pain through my aching body.

The orc in charge of me hit me several times, trying to make me keep going, but I didn't care what he did. I couldn't go a step further.

I felt a hard kick hit my back and next I knew I was lying on the ground with my cheek pressed to the dirt. I didn't even register the pain anymore, everything had gone numb, including all emotions.

"Risa" a soft voice chased sleep away from me, "Risa, wake up." Reluctantly, I got to my feet and stretched out my legs one by one. I once again couldn't remember my dream, but I felt a strange lack of emotion.

"Hurry it up" Thorin's grumpy voice didn't even bother me this morning.

Bilbo ushered me out the open gate and together we followed Thorin back to the rest of the company.

The dwarf, Kili, whom had been shot was with them, and I suspected nobody told him about me, because as soon as his eyes fell upon me he stumbled backwards so violently he took Fili down with him.

"Kili its alright! She isn't going to harm us." Fili quickly subdued his brother, promising to explain the whole situation whilst they traveled.

We left the elven city behind us as fast as we could, Thorin not wanting to gibe the elves a chance to stop us.

There was a significant lack of conversation between the company. I had to keep glancing over my shoulder to make sure they were still following behind me. Thorin had demanded I walk ahead of everybody else, so they could all keep a close eye on me, and so I couldn't attack them from behind. He wouldn't even let Bilbo walk near me; the saddened hobbit was made to walk near the rear of our single-file line.

Being at the front did have its advantages, as it turned out, I was able to smell much more than just dwarf. I could smell the rain a good while before it began to hammer down on us.


	10. Chapter 10

There was nowhere for us to take shelter from the storm as we carefully walked the thin mountain road. If I'd been any bigger, I wouldn't have even fit on the narrow path.

"We need to find shelter!" Somebody yelled out.

"Look out!" came a different voice. I looked up in time to see a giant boulder crash into the mountain right above us. I had to dash forward to avoid the shower of rocks that followed.

I could feel the gground shaking, and I barked loudly at the rest of the company, urging them to run, but they were already too focused on not falling off the path.

I could only watch in horror as the ground they stood on, and a sizable section of the mountain broke away. The rock held the form of a giant man, and the company was standing devided over both the giant's knees.

I dodged backwards as one of the knees crashed back into the mountain, giving the dwarves just enough time to jump off.

I noticed Kili slip on the wet rocks as he landed, I'd moved as soon as I saw him begin to fall. Being careful not to knock any of the others towards the edge as I passed them, I snagged part of Kili's coat and pulled him back into me. He grabbed the hair of my neck as soon as he was in range, using me to steady himself. I could hear his breathing whilst he stood so close, and he sounded exhausted. I feared what could happen if I let him, and perhapse he felt the same, because this was the longest he had willingly been so close to me. Crouching down, I nudged him closer to my back, trying to tell him to climb up. He surprisingly did so after a long moments hesitation. I stood up just as the mountain shook.

"NO!" I turned in time to see the same stone giant fall down the deep chasm, and Thorin yell and he and the others run off down the path. Being extra careful not to slip, and to keep Kili on my back, I followed them as fast as I dared.

By some luck, the whole company was there, gathered on a larger section of the path.

We didn't have to travel much farther to find a cave. Fili helped Kili slide off my back, and I followed them to the back of the cave. The cave smelt odd, but I couldn't quite tell why. The smell made me uneasy, even though I found nothing suspicious, after searching the whole thing several times.

"Risa, you should get some rest." Bilbo gestured to a space he, Fili and Kili had left for me next to them. I took it gratefully, resting my cold limbs, but I couldn't sleep yet. I hasn't tired enough to overcome the uneasy feeling sitting in my stomache.

It didn't take long for everyone else to fall asleep. Only Bofur was awake, sitting on first watch. We both watched over the others in silence, like shepherds watching over a flock, keeping them safe. For a while, that's how it stayed, safe, but then I heard stone grinding against stone, and sand falling. The dwarves woke up one by one, and I realized I had been growling, the deep rumble carrying through the cave.

"Up! All of you! Wake up!" Thorin called out.

But we were all too slow, the ground opened up below us and we all fell.


End file.
